Hollywood's 10 Best Portrayals of Famous Geeks

Right now Hollywood just can't get enough science. From the Tony Stark–Bruce Banner bromance in Avengers to Elizabeth Shaw's indefatigable quest for knowledge in Prometheus, inventors, tinkerers, and geniuses the cinema's current go-to heroes.

Walter Matthau as Albert Einstein in I.Q. (1994)

Walter Matthau as Albert Einstein in I.Q. (1994)

Here's a man who spawned modern physics and revolutionized the principles of scientific thought, and yet he couldn't think to buy a comb. Who better to win our hearts as a matchmaker in a Meg Ryan rom-com?

While I.Q. may be light on the science, it is big on warmth and ranks as one of the great mid-90s guilty pleasures. Walter Matthau's over-the-top mitteleuropa accent and uncanny ability to make light romantic metaphors out of theoretical physics are like miniature big bangs of charm. Extra points to I.Q. for presenting a mid-century Princeton as the Bonnaroo of deep thought, with Kurt Godel, Boris Podolsky, and others offering little equations of advice to a lovestruck Tim Robbins.

Matthew Broderick as Richard Feynman in Infinity (1996)

Matthew Broderick as Richard Feynman in Infinity (1996)

Feynman is best known in academic circles for his work in quantum mechanics, but he's recognized in the public sphere for his whimsical writings and lectures. A freewheeling thinker with an artist's spirit, Feynman played a crucial role in the Manhattan Project—this duality surely adds to his public legacy. (That, plus his passion for Tuvan throat singing, philately, and playing the bongos.

A big-budget film about the Feynman-led investigation into the space shuttle Challenger explosion almost happened (with David Strathairn perfectly cast in the lead). But not too many people know about one Feynman movie that was made: Matthew Broderick's low-budget biopic. Directed by Broderick himself (and written by his mother) Infinity follows Feynman's early career up to and including his work on the Manhattan Project. The film is based on stories collected in Feynman's final book What Do You Care What Other People Think?